Short Summary

Iranian Kurds are still carrying on their anti-government rebellion in the mountains of western Iran.?

Description

Iranian Kurds are still carrying on their anti-government rebellion in the mountains of western Iran. On Wednesday (September 19) Kurdish guerrillas were reported to have carried out a grenade attack on the Revolutionary Guard headquarters in Mahabad as well as blowing up two bridges near the Iraqi border. Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khomeini, whose troops are in full possession of the Kurdish towns, warned that all opponents of his rule would be "destroyed".

SYNOPSIS: The team of sardasht, in western Iran, was the last major Kurdish stronghold to fall to government troops. It took a week of fierce fighting before it was captured. Now, it is firmly under the control of government forces, who maintain a strong presence in the streets.

Elements of resistance do remain, though they are mainly restricted to this kind of gesture - spraying a poster of Ayatollah Khomeini with red paint.

But although life is returning to normal in Sardasht, many thousands of its inhabitants are no longer there. They have fled to the mountains outside the town in order to carry on their guerrilla campaign. There, the rugged terrain is hampering their pursuers and assisting the Kurds in carrying out lighting raids.

In Mahabad, three hundred miles away (500 kilometres), Iranian troops are also experiencing resistance. On Wednesday (19 September), Kurds were reported to have launched a grenade attack on the headquarters of the local Revolutionary Guards.

But for the most part, the superior weapons of the government forces rule out any large-scale guerrilla activity. Tank divisions like this one can easily outgun the rifles and machine-guns of the Kurds.

Nevertheless, the soldiers and Revolutionary Guards remain vigilant inside the town and throughout all Kurdish areas. Sandbags have been placed outside all potential Kurdish targets, and patrols keep a close watch on the townspeople. In Mahabad, however, they are assisted by local Kurdish militia, who have been helping to keep order. Meanwhile, all along the Iraqi border, up to ten thousand Kurdish guerrillas are reported to be in hiding.